


The Heron and the Raven

by ShySeagull



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 01:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18420414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShySeagull/pseuds/ShySeagull
Summary: One year after the end of the War for Tellius, Micaiah is serving as a royal adviser to King Pelleas. However, when the secret of her birth gets out she must turn away from the country that once loved her. Fortunately, a certain raven offers her a path and the promise of a new life.





	1. Meeting by Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> Well now, this is a rarepair if ever I've seen one. Honestly I have no justification for it besides the one little conversation these two have in Radiant Dawn. And, of course, my own personal headcanon.  
> Admittedly this was written sort of freeform and is probably pretty bad, but I just figured I'd throw it up here anyway.

The moon was full and bright overhead, casting faint shadows atop the weathered battlements of Castle Daein. Save for the regular patrols of a few guards, the walkway atop the walls remained vacant of activity. Which, incidentally, was the reason a certain woman favored it.

Micaiah folded her arms and rested them upon the low stone wall that served as a guardrail. The sprawl of Nevassa, Daein’s capital city, occupied her vision to every side. Other than the lights of the blacksmith’s forges and a few folks heading home from late work, the streets were dark and quiet. Most of the buildings had been repaired since Jarod had attempted to lay waste to the city, but there were still a few that had missing roofs and crumbling walls. The Liberation War had not been kind to Nevassa, and the conflict with Crimea that immediately followed had certainly not helped matters any. Scarce resources and a lack of skilled artisans meant that reconstruction was a slow, plodding affair. Still, Micaiah felt some pride for how much had been accomplished since a shaky peace had been negotiated a year ago. Daein was no longer a poor, struggling nation corrupted by greedy nobles or foreign senators. The country was a far cry from the powerhouse it had been before King Ashnard, but the signs of progress were clear. Unfortunately, progress demanded constant monitoring from the brightest and most capable minds around. Micaiah just so happened to fit those qualifications.

Despite her adamant refusing a noble title, the recently crowned King Pelleas had insisted on appointing Micaiah as a royal advisor. He was convinced it would raise the morale of the people immeasurably to have the legendary Silver-Haired Maiden working on behalf of them, and it had been hard to argue with his logic. She was something of a hero to the commoners after all. The light priestess had known what she was getting into when she accepted the position, but it was still overwhelming at times. Trade routes had to be negotiated, new laws against laguz discrimination had to be implemented and enforced, and the tattered remnants of the army demanded reconstruction. At any given moment there were a dozen different pulls on Micaiah’s attention. Yet none of those were what drove her to insomnia this particular evening.

Earlier that day, a particularly fervent admirer had kept his grip when she pulled her hand away, and the glove covering her brand slid off. Many people were around to witness the event. Though Micaiah made her excuses and slipped away to the security of her private quarters, the rumors spread throughout the city very quickly. Several times she was disturbed by pounding on the door and angry shouts, though she didn’t respond to any of them. Only when night had fallen did she finally emerge from her room, seeking out solitude and fresh air on the castle walls. Looking over the city brought mixed feelings up to the surface. She had sacrificed so much for the people of this nation and would do so again, but they would see her as a monster now. Branded remained inhuman creatures to both races, whatever progress had been made.

_How strange it is, to be loved so much then hated in the next instant for something completely unrelated. I wish Sothe would have stayed in Daein longer._

He had gone with Lord Ike to Crimea for a few trade negotiations and would not be back for at least two fortnights. She felt the same about the young boy as she always did, since he was one of the few who had ever known her secret without condemning her. Sothe would forever be her little brother and a safe place. Nobody else filled a role even remotely similar, as nobody else could seem to get over their prejudice. “Perhaps nobody else ever will,” Micaiah muttered bitterly.

“I figured I would find you out here.”

The sudden voice from behind startled Micaiah so much that she drew her dagger partway out of its sheath while she whirled around. When she saw the speaker and recognized her, she relaxed a bit but remained cautious. “Vika? What are you doing out here? I thought you were still in Begnion?”

The slender raven girl laughed and shook her head. “I was, but in northern Begnion. Getting from there to here isn’t a long trip when you can fly and there’s a decent tailwind. I got here earlier this morning.” Vika stretched an arm overhead and leaned to the side, popping a few kinks in her back. “Would have come to say hi, but you were in a meeting.”

Micaiah smiled ruefully. “You were going to greet me? I thought being anywhere near me caused you a great deal of discomfort?” Vika visibly flinched at her biting tone, and Micaiah instantly regretted being so sharp. “I-I apologize. It’s been a difficult day for me.”

Vika nodded and walked over to stand beside the light mage, tightly folding her wings and leaning back against the wall. “So I’ve heard. I’m amazed you stuck around, to be honest.”

_Wait a moment. She knows? She knows and is standing next to me without reservation as though nothing is wrong, Micaiah thought in disbelief._

“You know? How far has the news spread?” the Branded girl asked aloud.

Vika thought for a moment. “I doubt word has gotten outside the capital. It’s only been half a day since the rumors started spreading, and it’s taken some time for people to really believe them.”

“Do you believe them?” Micaiah inquired.

Vika gave her a brief glance with a smile. “Yeah, I do. It would explain why you made me feel the way I did. Given your hair and wide variety of abilities, I’d guess heron? Am I right?” She asked as if it were the most casual question in the world, like one would ask another’s opinion of the weather.

Micaiah was utterly dumbstruck, and it took her a while to stammer out a coherent response. “Y-yes. One of my parents was of the heron tribe.” She paused and licked her lips, mouth suddenly dry. “Why do you seem so okay with this, Vika? I repulse you on an instinctual level, and well I know how the Laguz feel about my kind. Yet here you stand as though we are chatting over the most inconsequential of details.” There was silence between the two women for a minute, and when Micaiah chanced to look sidelong at her companion she saw the raven girl had her eyes shut and was smiling up at the sky.

Vika felt relaxed next to the Branded girl and was very happy about it. When she finally did reply, her voice was quiet and wistful. “I hated how ill at ease I felt around you. Each and every day I saw how kind you were to anyone who crossed your path, be they Beorc or Laguz. Even so, you gave me the creeps and I could never understand why. It made me so angry, because seeing how amazing you were made me want to be close and know you better.”

Micaiah had her doubts. “That’s nice of you to say, but I really don’t think I’m that unique in that regard. Sothe, Jill or Elincia are equally remarkable people if kindness to Laguz is your measurement.”

Vika shook her head adamantly. “No, see, that’s where you’ve got it wrong. Those three got over prejudices that were just born of ignorance. You’ve been directly mistreated by people from both races. That’s what makes your kindness so special- your willingness to look past it all.”

“I don’t always look past it, you know. I hold grudges like any other, and I’ve been alive long enough to nurse more than a few,” Micaiah countered.

“Of course, that’s only natural. But you don’t judge other people because of them.”

Micaiah crossed her arms and huffed. “Alright. I’m flattered by your complements, but I don’t see what this has to do with your discomfort around me.”

“I’m getting there. When I saw example after example of how caring you were, I knew that whatever my instincts were telling me had to be wrong. How could someone so good be dangerous to an ally? So I started hanging around you more often, whenever I got the chance. That started to help, but it really got easier to ignore when I learned about you today. The monster under the bed isn’t scary once you learn there’s nothing dangerous there, you know?”

Though touched by the Laguz’s words, Micaiah still had difficulty believing the story. “I still don’t understand some things, Vika. How are you able to put aside what I thought to be an instinctual hatred? And why go through all this trouble for me?”

“W-well, I-“ Vika stammered. Micaiah cocked her head a bit, waiting for the raven to continue. “I guess I can answer the first part now. Let me start by asking if you knew I was a slave.”

The Branded girl nodded. She had heard of Vika’s history through Sothe.

“Alright, that cuts down on some of the explaining. Putting it simply, spending years in conditions like that changes how you look at people. When you’re so desperate for even the most basic of kindnesses, it starts to matter less and less who they come from. Can you see where I’m going with this?”

“I suppose so,” Micaiah replied hesitantly. “It matters less who people are, relative to what they do. Is that what you’re getting at?”

“That’s exactly right. Plus, like I said earlier, as soon as I understood what the feeling was it became earlier to shut away. So learning what you are hasn’t affected my opinion of you, except maybe an increase in admiration. Keeping a secret like that had to be so difficult, especially when you must have thought your allies would become your enemies if they knew.”

“It…it was h-hard. I will admit that.” Micaiah sniffled, wiping at her moistened eyes with the back of her hand. “You’d think I’d get used to it after all these years but having people close to me has always been stressful. I even felt that way about Sothe up until I confided in him.”

“Oh. Right, Sothe. He’s…sort of related to the second part of your question.”

Micaiah quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side. “I didn’t think you were ever all that close to him. What does he have to do with anything?”

Vika refused to meet Micaiah’s gaze, looking anywhere that wasn’t the mage’s face. “What’s your, uh, relationship with him? Friend? Family? Or…lover, maybe?”

Whatever Vika had been expecting, it wasn’t for Micaiah to burst out laughing. Her silver locks hung over her face as she doubled over, clutching her belly. It took a while, but eventually her outburst subsided into little chuckles. “S-sorry, Vika,” she apologized, noting her companion’s surprise. “I just haven’t had anyone suggest that Sothe was my lover, especially considering I’ve never had interest in a partner before. He’s something of my adopted little brother. Now why do you need to know something like that? You have me quite curious.”

“No interest in a partner, huh?” Vika held a smile, but it was strained.

“I suppose it might be more accurate to say that nobody has ever shown interest in me. And since I’m accustomed to being more or less alone, I never thought to form that sort of bond with anyone.” Micaiah furrowed her brow, growing slightly suspicious. “You still haven’t answered my questions though.”

The raven toed the stone walkway with one foot, looking away again. “Would you consider having a lover if the opportunity was presented to you?”

“I…suppose? Wait a moment,” Micaiah continued, making Vika visibly flinch. “Vika, are you suggesting what I think you are?”

“Might be,” the raven replied timidly, a deep blush overtaking her ears and cheeks. A few of the ebony feathers on the edges of her wings started to ruffle. “I know it’s kinda out of nowhere, so-“ Whatever backpedal was about to come out died on her tongue when she felt a soft hand rest on her bare shoulder. Daring to lift her head, she looked up and into twinkling golden eyes and a tender smile.

“It means so much to me that you’d offer something like this, Vika. Perhaps I might consider it, but will you give me some time?” Micaiah took hold of the raven’s hand, running her thumb over the ridges of knuckles. “Like I said before, I’m used to isolation and I’m slower to trust than most. Still, the fact that you’ve demonstrated that you don’t care about my heritage makes me happy. And, of course, you are a lovely woman. A relationship like this sounds…exciting, but also something I’m unprepared for right this moment.”

“O-of course! I can wait, that’s no problem.” Vika shifted the grip on her hand, holding Micaiah’s like a gentleman might a lady’s. “I’m kinda like that too, so I understand completely. Take as much time as you need.”

The Branded mage sighed, both in relief and at the surprisingly pleasant feeling of the raven’s skin on her own. “Thank you, Vika. Truly. The wait will not be long, that I can promise.” A wry smirk quirked her lips upwards. “After all, I might very well be chased out of the castle come tomorrow. One should do their best to live in the moment, as change can happen all too quickly.”

“Heh. If that happens, I can lift you out of here in a hurry. I might not be a hawk, but I’ve got some strong wings.” She unfurled them to their fullest length, flapping them once to make her point. The resulting blast of air ruffled the two girls’ hair and clothes, both of them laughing without care.

“If it happens, I look forward to the ride. Until then,” Micaiah paused, face developing a bright flush as she hesitated. Gathering her nerve, she placed a quick kiss on Vika’s cheek, grinning when her companion went wide-eyed and slack jawed. “Take that as a sign that I am certainly taking your offer seriously.” Both out of a desire to escape her own embarrassment and to get some rest, Micaiah pulled away and took a step back. “Until tomorrow, Vika,” she said fondly before walking away.

Vika was still a little stunned by the kiss, but managed to call out, “Y-yeah! I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll wait up here in case you end up needing me to get you out of here.” Grinning like a fool, she lifted a hand to the spot where the Branded girl’s lips had been only a moment ago. She sighed happily, waving with her free hand when Micaiah did the same over her shoulder. “I’d say that went pretty well,” she murmured to herself. Exhaustion from the flight earlier that day was beginning to reach her as well. She yawned widely and arched her back again, grunting when her spine and shoulders popped a few times. “Guess I should go get some rest.” With one more lingering look at Micaiah’s back, she leaped from the battlement, both her body and heart soaring.


	2. A New Life

_2 years later_

Sweat beaded on Micaiah’s brow, droplets of it running down the sides of her face and dripping off her chin. She grunted with exertion as she heaved another weighty sack of grain onto the chest-high wagon bed, joining the dozen or so already on it. “Whew. That should be the last of it,” she gasped, panting for breath. Retreating to the shade of an enormous oak tree to recuperate, she sat down and took a few sips from the waterskin she’d left in the grass. Her arms were trembling a little bit, but not nearly as much as they used to after heavy labor. In fact, Micaiah derived a certain level of satisfaction at the buildup of muscle that was clearly visible in her arms and shoulders. Keeping a wayfarer’s house for liberated Laguz slaves up and running took a lot of work, especially when one of the two people running it often had to be away.

She and Vika had created the haven shortly after they left Nevassa. As Micaiah had predicted, the populous and most of the nobility did not react well to the revelation of her heritage. Though the former Dawn Brigade had ensured there would be no torch-and-pitchfork riot, the Silver-Haired Maiden had still become the Branded Witch. Despite Pelleas’ assurances that she could stay if she desired, ultimately Micaiah decided remaining in Nevassa would cause more trouble than it was worth. After officially stepping down from her position, Micaiah packed up her few most treasured possessions and headed for the castle ramparts. True to her word, Vika was waiting there for her and flew her out of the city.

Their relationship had started slowly, with both of them having little to no experience in romantic affairs. Still, Vika’s boundless patience and Micaiah’s sense of empathy was enough to make sure both women remained comfortable as their romance progressed. It was about six months in that they decided to officially settle down together, and so they build the wayfarer’s house on the border between Daein and Crimea. Vika, with her incredible speed and stamina in flight, visited the nation’s capitals to secure legal documents and safe travel for liberated Laguz slaves. Micaiah, preferring to stay out of the public eye, tended to remain at the house and manage the day-to-day operations.

With the chores done but some daylight still remaining, Micaiah laid back in the feather-soft grass and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of contentment. There was little point in resisting an afternoon nap, especially when the early autumn weather was so pleasant. Before the mage could doze off, there was a sudden rustling from above and a familiar voice calling out to her.

“Hey there sleepyhead! I’m back!”

Micaiah opened her eyes again to the sight of Vika alighting gracefully in the tree directly above her. The raven’s hair was tousled from flying and her clothes were besmirched with dirt and sweat.

“Welcome back, dear. Hard flight? You look terrible,” the mage teased.

Vika rolled her eyes, but the broad grin on her face betrayed her amusement. “Very funny. You’re not exactly looking prim and proper yourself, Miss Divine Priestess.”

Micaiah chuckled and sat up but was quickly kept from standing by her raven companion dropping down from the branch and placing a firm hand on her chest.

“I think I’ll join you down here, if you don’t mind,” Vika stated matter-of-factly, plopping down beside her partner. “For your information, it was indeed a tough flight. There was a damn strong headwind nearly half the trip back from Nevassa. It would have been a three-day trip instead of four if not for that.” Taking note of the sudden melancholy the silver-haired girl displayed, Vika sat down and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry. I know it’s still hard to think about your old country.”

“It’s alright. Is…is all well at the capital? It’s been some time since last I have heard any news.”

Vika nodded, gently rubbing the other girl’s back in a way she knew she found soothing. “Yeah, things are fine there. Reconstruction is more or less done and the new laws have been put in place without too much protest. There are even a few Laguz merchants that have set up shop in the market.”

Micaiah sighed in relief, some of the tension leaving her. “Good. I had hoped my work wasn’t for nothing.” The hand tracing slow circles on her back moved to her other shoulder, and Vika pulled her in close. Micaiah’s eyes fluttered shut as the raven kissed the top of her head and nuzzled into her hair.

“You did so much good for Daein, Micaiah. Some day things will be different and you’ll be able to go back if you want- I can just about guarantee that. There are still people there that care for you a lot, even now that they know what you are. Pelleas, the old Dawn Brigade, and even Almedha speak of you often and fondly. They haven’t forgotten you, and I'm sure the people will come around too.”

“Mmm,” Micaiah hummed, trying not to sound unconvinced. “Well I’m glad to hear they might want me back eventually, but I think I’m more than content right where I am. I spent so many years trying to liberate a country of enslaved Beorc, so it’s only right I devote time to helping Laguz slaves now. Although,” she paused, wrapping one hand around Vika’s waist and placing the other on her chest, snuggling up close. “Those seem to be in short supply these days. It’s almost lonely at the house now.”

“That’s a good thing, you know,” Vika murmured.

Micaiah chuckled softly. “I do know. I just miss you when it’s quiet is all.” She lifted her head to press a loving kiss to Vika’s cheek, giggling when the raven’s ears and cheeks turned bright red. “Honestly, dear. You blush just as easily as when I first did that. Are you not used to my affection by now?”

Vika tried to hide her face out of embarrassment. “It just reminds me of the day we left Daein when you kiss my cheek like that.” That got a bark of laughter from the girl in her arms, which only served to fluster her further. “I-I can’t believe I almost dropped you when that updraft hit me. Why you decided to stay with me after that, I’ll never know.”

“What can I say? You managed to charm me,” Micaiah replied, placing a hand on Vika’s cheek and tilting her face back towards hers. “And you’ve continued to charm me every day since then.”

Vika looked deep into those glittering golden eyes, a sight that never lost its beauty to her. Those eyes drew closer, then closed as Micaiah pressed her lips to Vika’s. The kiss was tender, gentle, and slow, but it was enough to set both girls’ hearts racing. When the Branded mage pulled away, Vika quickly pulled her back for another kiss that was considerably more heated, causing Micaiah to hum low in her throat. The raven’s tongue hesitantly brushed Micaiah’s lips, asking for entrance, which the silver-haired girl eagerly permitted. They deepened the kiss, exploring places well-loved and dearly missed after four days apart. Micaiah leaned in to Vika’s body, pushing the raven onto her back while she remained on top. This time the raven was the first to break the contact, panting for air and looking up at her lover with smoldering eyes.

“Dearest?” Vika asked sweetly.

“Yes my love?” “Is there anyone staying at the house right now?”

“No. We’re not expecting anyone until tomorrow.”

“I see. In that case…” Vika folded her ebony wings around Micaiah, wrapping her up in a hug of arms and feathers alike. “May I demonstrate exactly how much I’ve missed you?” she purred, nuzzling into the mage’s neck.

Micaiah giggled, playfully nibbling on the raven’s ear in return. “Please do.”

They kissed again, shielded from the world by a curtain of soft, black feathers. The loneliness that had darkened their hearts in the past was gone. Now there was only peace, warmth, and most importantly love.


End file.
